Diversity in Higher Education on National Agenda Again

The PhD Project Encourages Minorities to Make the Switch from the Boardroom to

Classroom

MONTVALE, N.J., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Once again, the issue of diversity
in higher education has been brought to the forefront of the national
education agenda, this time by Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley in his
State of American Education speech Tuesday. In the speech, Riley said he
believes diversity matters a great deal in higher education and that
"Affirmative inaction is not the answer."
One program, The PhD Project, has been working toward diversity in higher
education for the past four years. It's a nationwide initiative aimed at
encouraging more African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and Native Americans to
leave the corporate suite and enter new careers as students -- to earn their
PhDs and then become business school professors. (Information on The PhD
Project, call 888-2GET-A-PHD, or visit web site, http://www.phdproject.com.)
"Over 90 percent of business school faculties are white -- our program is
helping correct this imbalance," said Bernard J. Milano, director of The PhD
Project and executive director of the KPMG Foundation. "Our goal is to draw
more minorities into the nation's business schools by increasing the number of
minorities in business school faculties -- more minority mentors means more
minority students will see business as a viable option."
Top companies KPMG Peat Marwick, Citibank, Chrysler, Ford and Texaco
joined to launch The PhD Project in 1994 with the ultimate aim of preparing
all students for today's diverse work environment, and enlarging the pool of
minorities who pursue careers in corporate America.
Each year, The PhD Project holds a conference where minority considering
the switch to academia can learn the ins and outs of pursuing a PhD degree.
The next conference will be held in Chicago, Nov. 18 - 20, 1998. Other
sponsors include GMAC, AACSB, Ford Motor Company, Abbott Laboratories, Fannie
Mae Foundation, James S. Kemper Foundation, Merrill Lynch and Mobil
Corporation.